Fascism Essay Response: Explain the Significance of the "Cult of Personality" in Fascism

Explain the Significance of the "Cult of Personality" in Fascism. (10 Marks)

Break the question down: 

Define & Explain

• Fascists reject the liberal idea of limited government based on constitutionalism and consent. 
• Instead, fascists favour authoritarian leadership and a strong state
• These views accrue from the fascist belief that, throughout history, humans have always been ruled by dominant individuals and that such individuals stand apart from the masses who follow them
• Such leaders relate to their nations in almost mythical ways, personifying and articulating their aspirations beyond the constraints created by liberal, bourgeois political systems. These cult figures re ore than mere politicians - they are what Nietzsche called "Ubermensch" or "Supermen"

Link 1 - Charismatic leadership

• This is because they possess CHARISMA - they are powerful, omnipotent figures who reveal clear martial virtues such as honour and courage, traits which produce unquestioning reverence from followers towards their leaders and a belief in the infallibility of the leader's vision
• The idea of the supreme leader linked to a "distinctively fascist, if inverted nation of democratic rule."
• Nietzsche's Ubermensch rises above the "herd instinct" of conventional morality and lives according to their own will and desire. 

Link 2 - Theory of Supreme and Unquestionable Leadership

• Fascists turned the idea into a theory of supreme and unquestionable leadership. Hitler ditched the traditional ties of political leadership and had the German army swear their oath of loyalty to him "Der Fuhrer" in order to distance himself from any previous idea of constitutionally related leadership
• This links back to charismatic leadership - Max Weber's term "legal rational" authority operates in a framework of laws or rules; charismatic authority is potentially unlimited. This can be seen in the Nuremberg Rallies - "Adolf Hitler is in Germany. Germany is Adolf Hitler."

This is not a mark scheme for the question, its just ideas of what you could use. This is the structure I used for 10 mark questions, but you can use whatever is most suitable for you. A-levels are about independent learning - i.e. you can answer a question in anyway that is easiest for you and gains you the best marks. There is no strict structure you have to follow, just follow what suits you best!